Charges: Man Shot Friend While Playing With Gun

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 23-year-old man has been indicted for manslaughter in connection with a December shooting that left one man dead.

Kyle Alan Dague, of Burnsville, was charged with second-degree manslaughter and reckless discharge of a firearm in the death of 22-year-old Justin James Schauer on Dec. 31, 2011.

According to the charges, police received a call of a man that had been shot around 2:40 a.m. Dec. 31. Upon arrival, they discovered the man had died from his injuries.

Dague was questioned by police. He said he and Schauer were playing a game with a 9mm handgun, where the person holding the gun could pull back the slide of the gun and catch the ejected bullet in the air with their free hand.

Dague told police he wasn’t looking when he heard the gun go off and that Schauer must have shot himself with the weapon.

The Dakota County Medical Examiner said Schauer died from a single gunshot wound to his forehead. Tests showed the bullet was fired from about 6 to 8 inches away. The investigation also revealed Dague’s DNA on the handgun but not Schauer’s.

Police interviewed witnesses who said they’ve seen Dague on previous occasions point the gun towards others and pull the trigger, without bullets in the gun. Another witness said Dague told him he was the one who shot Schauer on the night of his death.

Dague made his first court appearance on Monday. His bail was set at $150,000 without conditions. His next court appearance will be Oct. 22 in Hastings.